Mountain Biking UK January 2022

Another year draws to a close, and it’s been an odd one for mountain biking. The highs have been stratospheric. British riders triumphed at the Olympics (Tom Pidcock) and World Champs (Evie Richards), won EWS races (Bex Baraona) and World Cup rounds (Tahnée Seagrave, Reece Wilson, plus Tom and Evie again). There were top performances from rising stars, too, including Phoebe Gale and Jordan Williams (two Junior DH World Cups apiece), Jamie Edmondson (EWS U21 champ) and Polly Henderson (EWS U21 silver). Away from competition, we witnessed the return of great events such as the Malverns Classic and Red Bull Rampage, the rapid development of women’s freeride and the launch of some brilliant new bikes and kit… although it was bloody difficult to get our hands on any of them!…

STEVE THOMAS VETERAN SNAPPER There in the early days of UK MTB, Steve was the perfect man to put our big XC feature together. Stuck in Thailand since COVID hit, he insists that isn’t as fun as it sounds! EMILY HORRIDGE MASTERS DH CHAMP/GUIDE As a UK downhiller turned alpine MTB guide, Emily knows a thing or two about riding in adverse conditions – check out her winter tips on p102 LUKE MARSHALL TECH WRITER In his new(ish) technical rolewith MBUK and BikeRadar.com, our former staff writer has been busy giving the latest trail forks a proper thrashing (p92) CASEY NEWTON CORNISH MTBER A life-changing spinal-cord injury could have ended Casey’s riding forever, so it’s amazing to see her back racing. We hear her full story on p19…

LONG LIVE CHAINSAW FILM STEVIE SMITH RIDES AGAIN Canadian racer Stevie Smith was one of the most talented and likable riders on the DH World Cup circuit, so it’s great to see his life and legacy immortalised in a new feature-length documentary. Not only for his fans – us included – but also for his mum, Tianna, who was instrumental in Stevie’s early success, and tells us: “It’s wonderful to have this amazing keepsake of my boy.” Now available to watch online, Long Live Chainsaw has been produced by Anthill Films (Follow Me, Not Bad, Arrival) in partnership with the Stevie Smith Legacy Foundation and Red Bull Media House. It follows Stevie’s path to the top, and the many trials and tribulations this inspiring rider faced before his untimely death in 2016, aged…

Back in April, Cornish rider Casey Newton (aka Casey Gemma) had an over-the-bars crash at her local downhill venue, Gawton Gravity Hub in Devon, and suffered a spinal cord injury that left her with no feeling from the waist down. Casey didn’t know if she’d ever ride a bike again, but support from family and friends, along with some serious mental resilience, has helped her adapt and rehabilitate with remarkable speed. The recent #rideforcasey race at Gawton not only saw Casey back at one of her favourite riding spots, but also behind bars once more, tackling the downhill track on a Bowhead adaptive trike. “The whole race day was an emotional rollercoaster,” she tells us. “It was my first time back at Gawton since my accident six months before, and I…

Last week, I had the best day for such a long time on my downhill bike. Riding again after having a baby has been awesome! I missed doing big jumps so much while I was pregnant. I started off doing small tabletops and getting that confidence back, then one day I focused solely on jumps and by the end I was hitting some of the big ones at Dyfi Bike Park. There’s nothing quite like a DH bike, and ours (check out our Atherton Bikes feature on p54) is so grounded and smooth it just begs you to ride faster. There’s a tabletop at the bottom of ‘50 Hits’, out of a berm, where you have to clear the jumps before it, absolutely rail the corner and commit to the jump,…

Go back 30 , 20, maybe even 10 years, and building an XC bike was a weight game where every gram counted, and racers even rode small frames just to save weight. Fast-forward to the present day, with tougher courses and shorter World Cup races, and gram-shaving has taken a back seat to functionality. Their lighter weight and efficient power transfer meant hardtails traditionally ruled the race circuit, but now lighter, cleverly-designed linkages and more technically-advanced shocks mean many riders opt for the reduced fatigue and extra traction of a full-susser. Fork travel has increased from 80mm to as much as 130mm, and bikes have lockouts for climbs and pedally sections. Riders have embraced longer frames, larger wheels and tyres, power meters and electronic gears for their improved performance. Dropper posts carry…